Will having an epidural effect my delivery? will the epidural slow down my birth or speed it up?

This : This is a matter of significant controversy amongst doctors and in the medical literature- which means that no matter how i answer it, i will be dead wrong according to some. While many have heard stories of how "...The epidural stopped my labor and i had to have a c-section..." one also hears how "...My epidural helped me relax and sped up my labor..." since we hear so many conflicting anecdotes, it would be helpful if we could answer such a question with hard scientific evidence, wouldn't it? Well, that also turns out to not be so easy, as studies can often contradict one another- different studies are run differently and usually don't ask or answer the same questions. On the whole, it seems that having an epidural may slightly increase the amount of time you spend in labor, but does not by itself appear to increase cesarean section rate or have detrimental effects on the newborn. Despite this, women report higher satisfaction with epidural analgesia than with other methods. So, if it is true that epidurals prolong your labor slightly, you may be left with this choice: would you choose a slightly longer but more comfortable labor, or a slightly shorter but intensely painful experience?

Yes and No!: It will almost certainly make for a more comfortable labor experience; less pain, fewer stress hormones circulating around your body..And that of your baby...Less chance of poor oxygenation to your baby because of the stress of pain. Recent research has not supported the belief that epidurals slow down the course of labor.